


Beast

by rosamynal



Series: Cacoethes Scribendi [6]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Crack, Dog - Freeform, Drabble Collection, Fluff, Fluff and Crack, Gen, Short & Sweet, Young Zenos, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-09
Updated: 2020-02-11
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:28:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22185610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosamynal/pseuds/rosamynal
Summary: Yes, I know. G-rating and Zenos. Doesn't usually come up, but bear with me!What if Zenos (big scary rawr hornt Zenos) had a cute, tiny, fluffy, white pomeranian as a pet?Born from a crack idea that materialized in the Discord. I take full responsibility for seizing the idea and running with it.And with the way my brain works, I'll likely keep adding to this when the fancy strikes.
Series: Cacoethes Scribendi [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1452643
Comments: 20
Kudos: 52





	1. A Name

Zenos walks the halls of the Imperial palace, nose in a book covering the military history of Doma. At his heels, trots his obedient white-furred pomeranian, Beast. The canine neither lags behind nor runs forward, somehow managing to perfectly maintain pace with his owner’s long strides. 

The Imperial Prince turns a corner without looking. A sharp bark from his faithful dog enough to make him stop in his tracks before bowling over the servant carrying an armful of linens. He glances down at her over the edge of his book. She curtsies messily, linens falling from her grip in her terror. Zenos ignores the woman and continues down the hall, Beast following in his wake without need of a command. 

It’s only when he reaches the courtyard that he finally lifts his head from his book and tucks a marker into it to save his place. He stops. Beast obediently sits at his feet.

A low whistle followed by a rise in pitch sends the pomeranian flying through the middle of the courtyard on its little legs, perfectly groomed fur bouncing with its gait. Zenos watches, the very picture of disinterest thanks to his tongue trapped between his teeth to keep from smiling. A metallic taste fills his mouth as Beast reaches his destination: his great-grandfather’s breakfast table.

The canine darts between the old man’s feet, yapping all the while. As expected, his great-grandfather barely acknowledges the animal. His  _ father _ on the other hand has just entered the courtyard from the opposite entrance and has noticed the canine. 

He rushes forward, grim-faced as ever to shout at the dog. Beast ducks under the old man’s chair and yaps at his father. The old man raises a bushy eyebrow, glancing from the animal to his grandson. With a groan, he leans over and reaches under the seat, taking Beast by the scruff and placing him in his lap. He feeds the dog a slice of bacon while admonishing his grandson for being a  _ bore _ .

Zenos takes it as his cue and approaches the pair. Beast happily barks and hops down from his great-grandfather’s lap to sit at his master’s feet, tail wagging in a way that threatened to fall off. His father glares at him, Beast, and the Emperor before placing a missive on the latter’s table and storming out of the courtyard. 

His great-grandfather smirks beneath his great beard before glancing at Zenos. Pale yellow eyes drop from Zenos to the dog sitting at his great-grandson’s heels. He inquires as to the dog’s name. Zenos responds with the animal’s full name: Beast wir Galvus. Up go both bushy eyebrows. A rare twinkle of amusement appears in his great-grandsire’s eyes. He admits that he is glad to hear there is no need to worry about the dog inheriting the Empire. 

Without a word, the old man resumes his breakfast while ignoring the missive left behind by his grandson. He idly lifts a hand and dismisses Zenos with his peculiar wave. The young man turns on his heel and leaves the courtyard the way he came, Beast happily trotting beside him.


	2. A Surprise

The sound of excited, pattering feet came through Zenos’ bedroom door. The high-pitched yaps and whines that accompanied them stirred the young boy from his slumber. He lifted his head, golden brows drawn together in confusion, as he slowly slid out of bed and approached the door. 

It opened before he reached it. What looked like a small ball of cotton with legs charged into his room, yapping all the more intensely. It ran circles around him before stopping to stand on its hind legs and paw what it could of his leg. It was only when it stopped moving that he recognized it as some breed of dog. 

He gingerly bent over and picked it up. Once in his arms, the dog’s tail wagged into a blur. It craned its neck upwards—and half its body—to lick the point of his chin. The action drew a surprised chuckle out of the young prince, which made him reflexively lower his face. The action only served to make the excitable fluff lick all the more intensely. Unprincely giggles overcame him before he managed to cup his hand over the dog’s face, transferring its attention to the limb as he began petting it.

“Where did you come from?” he asked it. 

Of course, it didn’t answer; it was a dog. Nonetheless, he carried it out of his bedroom to find the hallway beyond devoid of anyone—even servants. A faint, confused frown twisted Zenos’ lips as he glanced up and down the empty hallway. He reentered his room to check the time and left to find  _ someone _ who could answer the mystery of this dog.

The faint clinking notes of a piano drew him to the Emperor’s chambers. The door was ajar and mysteriously missing the presence of any guards. Zenos peeked his head inside to find his great-grandsire sitting at a piano in a corner of the room. For once out of his Imperial regalia, he wore a black coat with white and gold accents; the Garlean emblem embroidered onto the back, visible only because he had pulled his long, white hair over one shoulder. His white-gloved hands danced over the keys as the prince approached. 

The music stopped at the same time Zenos did. The Emperor glanced over his shoulder before looking forward. One hand idly toyed with the keys, playing a simple, slow tune. He inquired as to Zenos’ presence. The young prince explained. His great-grandsire scoffed and said it was likely some mutated runt that had escaped the kennels. He gave Zenos leave to keep the creature—but only if he intended to train and tend to it.

Zenos stared in genuine surprise at his great-grandsire’s back. The puppy in his arms yapped and wagged its tail before licking his face. The feeling of the soft, warm tongue snapped the prince out of his stupor. When the old man turned on the piano bench to check for a reaction, Zenos nodded and agreed to learn how to train the dog. The Emperor nodded and dismissed him with his strange wave.

“...”

Solus watched his great-grandson leave his chamber with the dog. It had been a moment of idle thought followed by weakness, he would begrudgingly admit, but the boy was so  _ very _ alone—and he was intimately acquainted with that kind of solitude.


	3. A Treat

“ _ Impete! _ ”

Beast rushed forward from where he sat at Zenos’ feet. The small, white pomeranian leapt, ferociously sinking its small teeth into the dead pigeon Zenos had left in the center of the training area. 

“ _ Desiste! _ ”

Beast stopped upon hearing his master’s voice. A quiet rumble of a growl vibrated in the small dog’s throat. Feathers that had flown up during the attack lazily drifted down around his faithful pet. Zenos cast an eye over the scene; a soft and approving smile lit up his face.

“ _ Reverte! _ ”

Beast turned around the moment he heard Zenos and happily ran back to his master’s feet. The teenager openly smiled at the small dog. The already-tall-for-his-age Garlean leaned down and gave his pet a morsel of dried ration as a treat. Beast happily ate it up, his tail a blur as it wagged.

He picked Beast up, allowing the dog to lick his face as was his wont. He whispered praise to the animal and scratched its favorite spot behind its ears. 

“You’re taking to the commands better than I thought,” he observed. “And to think Father said you wouldn’t. Yet another thing he’s wrong about.”

Beast happily yapped in response. Zenos smiled. He set the small fluffy animal on the ground and took a few steps back. Beast obediently followed. Without turning or stopping, he issued a command.

“ _ Impete! _ ”

He heard Beast stop. A moment later, the patter of his paws against the cobblestone told Zenos that his dog had charged off. A glance over his shoulder showed Beast biting the dead pigeon. 

“ _ Deporta! _ ”

Beast froze. He yapped curiously at Zenos, turning around to look at him. The teenager repeated the command while nodding at the pigeon. Beast stared at his master and then at the bird he had been attacking. A yap and the small dog grabbed it by the neck and half-dragged it to Zenos. Dropping the bird at his master’s feet, Beast yapped once and sat down.

Zenos picked up the bird with a quiet chuckle.

“Good boy,” he said, scratching behind Beast’s ear.

He entered the building with the bird in hand and Beast at his heel.


End file.
